Deceit
by Siese
Summary: Kendra's a stowaway on the Black Pearl,but she has a few tricks up her sleeve, and she has knowledge of Jack Sparrow. She has a secret,and that secret could prove deadly to Jack unless he can find out what it is,and it could be worse if they fall in love
1. Sneaking aboard

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Pirates of the Caribbean, though sometimes fantasizing is pretty fun. smirks evilly. Just kiddin youz guyz.

**This starts off similar to my Riddick story, and I don't know if I'll ever finish this one. It was just an idea I had the other day, so I decided to put it on paper…er…the internet. :)**

Kendra waited for the crew of the black ship to exit onto the docks before moving any closer. It was going to be hard enough to sneak onto the Black Pearl, and she didn't need any of the crew finding her. She didn't want them to find her. She'd hide on the ship, and when the voyage was over she'd find out where she was and that would be that. If anyone found her, it could mean her life, and she wasn't ready to die. And _pirates_ wouldn't be the ones to end her existence, anyway.

She used a rope near the back of the ship to get aboard, climbing it with all her strength. She was a pretty good climber, and runner. She could fight, but swordfighting was something she'd never quite mastered. She'd seen men swordfight in Tortuga, but she'd never learned how herself.

Kendra was a very fit young woman at the sprouting age of twenty-two. There wasn't an ounce of body fat on her; it was all muscle. She had a mild six-pack, toned thighs and calves, and strong arms. Her body was lean and small and didn't reveal her actual strength, which she found quite useful at times. She had light brown hair that curled in tiny spirals all over her head, and her blue eyes were the color of the ocean.

At the top of the rope, she peeked over the edge of the black wood to see the captain still standing at the wheel. He wore a long, tattered jacket that reached his knees, and a tricorner captain's hat made of brown leather. She could see long dark hair protruding under the hat with a few dreadlocks, and she also caught the glint of a few beads twined in that head of hair. His back was to her, so she knew she couldn't be seen. He appeared to be the only one left on the ship.

_What if he stays on the ship? Don't some captains do that? They just stay on their ships while the crew goes out into the city. But this is Tortuga…surely he'll want to leave for even just a little while. Please let him leave…_Kendra prayed to herself, her arms beginning to shake with the effort of her holding her up. It was like holding yourself in the position of a pull-up after you've pulled yourself up. She could only do it for so long before her arms gave out on her.

She completely froze when she heard him humming something. "…And really bad eggs…" A song. He was singing a song. _How interesting…_ His voice was deep and rugged sounding.

Now, what was this captain's name again? She couldn't remember. She'd heard plenty of stories about the Black Pearl and its newest captain, but she couldn't _remember!_ Something about an animal, she thought. Something with speed and grace…but what?

His movement snapped her out of her thoughts. He bounced merrily down the steps and disappeared into the captain's cabin. That was when she decided to make a break for it. Jumping over the railing and onto the ship, she sprinted silently to the opposite side of the ship. She closed the door that led downstairs as the captain was coming out of his cabin. She prayed he hadn't seen the door move, or if he did that he just discarded it, thinking it one of the crew. Still, she didn't waste time to find out if she'd been spotted. She turned and ran all the way down into the ship until she was in the cargo hold.

There, she sat down, ready to wait for however long it took them to reach their destination. She didn't know where they were even headed, but she would find out when she slipped off the ship later. Slowly, she faded into sleep, wondering how long it would take for them to get to wherever they were headed.

* * *

She was jerked awake by rough hands grabbing her arms and yanking her to her feet. She heard a rough, "What do we have 'ere, little lady?" And suddenly two men were dragging her through the darkness.

Knowing she was caught but deciding to fight anyway, she jerked her arms away from the one holding her and punched blindly, connecting with his mouth and feeling blood splatter across her knuckles. The other pirate grabbed her arms and tucked them tightly behind her back, but she used his support to jump and kick the one still in front of her. She heard a _thump_ as he fell to the floor. The pirate behind her toppled over, pulling her down with him.

Hopping to her feet, she tried to run out of arms reach, but to no avail. One of them grabbed her ankle and jerked her back to the floor. Her knee connected with the hard wood, probably bruising. She turned and kicked at the one holding her, her heel hitting a forehead. She couldn't really see anything in the darkness. Another grabbed her around the waist and punched her in the stomach. She grunted, but quickly rebounded the abuse by slamming her foot between his legs.

He let out a howl and pushed her away. She tumbled to the floor, and as she was getting to her feet, someone suddenly grabbed her arms behind her back again and yanked her to her feet by her wrists, hurting her shoulders in the process.

"Let me go!" She screamed and spun around out of the iron grasp. She kneed him in the groin as hard as her leg muscles would allow, and he let out a strangled hiss.

Not thinking at all and only focused on escaping her two assailants, Kendra turned and ran out of the room. There were a few pirates in the hallways, but she bypassed them all. They followed a little more slowly, not understanding what was going on and that she was a trespasser. She could hear heavy footfalls not far behind her, and she knew her two attackers were after her again.

She busted through the door and onto the deck, where the rest of the crew was. The captain was out on the deck, not behind the wheel, and he was shouting orders at someone when she practically knocked him over with the door.

"Jack, we've got a stowaway!" One of the men yelled who was after her.

Kendra turned to see the man, her knees bent slightly, preparing for whatever his move was. She'd never fought like this in her life; it was all instinct. But she had always trusted her instincts, and so she used now as the perfect moment to let them come into play. _And who's Jack?_

"That's _Captain_ Jack to you, mate." Came the reply. She glanced up to see the captain staring at her. Her moment of falter was the moment when the pirate chasing her tackled her to the floor. She grunted as her back contacted the wood.

Squirming frantically, she wormed her way out from under him and kicked him in the side as she clambered to her feet. Holding out her fists, she turned around slowly, staring at each pirate on the deck in turn as though warning them. Then, her eyes fell across the captain again.

"What exactly do you think you're doing 'ere, me lady?" He asked. Her every instinct was going haywire. Part of her was drowning in his chocolate brown eyes. Part of her was still on alert, saying he was a pirate and couldn't be trusted. And another part of her was saying he was completely harmless…well not harmless, but he meant her no harm.

She knew what her story was supposed to be, but she didn't want to give up information too freely in case he didn't believe her. She just stared at him, fists still raised. She watched as he turned and mumbled something to a crewman behind him, and when he turned back to her his eyes glanced up and down her body, inspecting her. _This is exactly why I didn't want to be found. Who knows what will happen to me now?_

"Are you mute, or just stubborn?" The captain—Jack—brought her out of her reverie.

"I'm not mute." She replied emptily.

"Well, then I guess that only leaves stubborn, doesn't it?" He smirked, one corner of his mouth going up.

She merely shrugged.

"Why did you sneak on board my Pearl, me lady?" Jack asked, stepping slowly toward her.

Again, she didn't speak. The pirate Jack had spoken softly to had returned, holding two sheathed swords under one arm. Kendra couldn't suppress her confusion. Her fists fell to her sides and she frowned before realizing that she was letting her guard down around the most feared pirates in the Caribbean.

Jack tossed her one of the swords, and she fought her reflexes and let it clang to the floor in front of her. She didn't understand what was happening. "I want you to fight me." Jack announced.

"Why?" She asked, eyeing him warily.

He shrugged. "You _can_ fight with a sword, can't you?"

This time she shrugged. "I don't know."

"I'll take that as a no, luv." He grinned, revealing a few gold-capped teeth, and withdrew his sword from its scabbard. When she didn't move, he just raised his eyebrows and attacked.

She blocked his sword with one of her gloves—the kind that had no fingers made in them and showed her knuckles. She'd wanted them originally to climb aboard the ship, but apparently they came in handy in other places. When she tried reaching down for her own sword, he kicked it away.

"You should've taken it when I gave you the chance, sweetheart." His eyes beheld his amusement. But instantly, he looked away from her. "Don't touch it, Anamaria."

"Watch out for her, Cap'n. She likes hitting where it hurts."

"And where would that be, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack half-turned toward the one speaking—one of the ones who'd found her downstairs.

She took the opportunity to _show_ him where it was. She grabbed his shoulders and kneed him between the legs, and when he went down on one leg—his expression enough to emit a spark of laughter from her—she took off at a run for the sword he'd kicked away.

Her foot came down on the wood, expecting solidity beneath her, but what she got was Jack's sword sliding beneath her foot at the last second. She slipped on the metal and sent herself flying forwards onto her stomach. She started to jump to her feet again, but suddenly a hard body was on top of her back, holding her down. Jack locked his knees around her hips, refusing to let her up.

Using those hard muscles, she pushed herself up in push-up position and rolled so that he was on his back on the floor and she was on _her_ back on top of him. She didn't wait for him to move. Kendra jumped to her feet again and ran toward the sword. It must be a tradition for pirates to grab at feet, because Jack grabbed her ankle and yanked her back toward him. She kicked him in the chest, knocking the breath out of him, and scrambled to her feet _again_ to get to her sword. She reached it as Jack did.

That was when she noticed he was missing his coat and hat. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, revealing a hard, bronze chest. Her eyes were her traitors, because when she looked away from her destination he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from her desired weapon.

"No!" She screeched, slamming her foot down on his. He released her and grabbed the foot she'd stomped. He would never let her get to the sword, not unless she could get away from him and gain a little distance.

She ran toward the side of the boat, hearing him chasing after her. She jumped and grabbed at a rope attached to the rail. She swung out in a circular motion, her feet above the water, and when she swung inward toward the ship she gave the captain a nice, hard kick in the jaw. When he hit the floor, she dashed toward the sword, the other pirates making room for her. They knew Jack didn't want them to interfere.

She finally reached her sword and drew it out of its sheath. She couldn't fight with it, but she could sure as bloody hell try. When she saw Jack getting to his feet and swaggering toward her, sword at his side, she slowly let hers sag as well.

"Well done, darlin'. Ye can stay on me Pearl. What's yer name?" He asked, rubbing his bruised chin.

She considered lying to him. He was a pirate, after all. She decided against lying, though she was still far from trusting of him. "Kendra."

"Well, Kendra, welcome to the Black Pearl." He proffered his hand, and she took it tentatively, wondering why he was suddenly being so kind to her after she'd just kicked him in the mouth and kneed him in the groin.

As if remembering his crew, he glanced around him and bellowed, "What are you starin' at, you scabbardous dogs! Back to work!"

Kendra glanced around her as Jack nodded politely and returned to steer his ship. They weren't in the port anymore. They were out in open water.

_And so it begins…_she thought to herself.

**YAY! There's chapter one! Now, don't forget to press that little button down there on the left hand corner of the screen! Do me that lil bitty favor. It gives me the motivation to keep writing. And I know you want to see what happens next, right? Right? RIGHT! Good, that's what I thought. So, review for me, youz guyz! Don't leave me hangin!**


	2. The Secret

Okay, here goes chapter two. Hope everyone liked the first chapter. I better get lots of reviews for this, by the way. wink wink

The Black Pearl was an amazing ship. It was the fastest in the Caribbean; she'd heard all the stories, but being on this speed demon as it traveled was amazing. Kendra stood at the front of the ship, staring out over the waters. There was just one thing interrupting this quiet bliss as she watched her first sunset aboard the Pearl…

"Fix that sail, mate! And what the bloody hell are you doin', sonny? Get back to work before I tie you to the anchor and send you down to Davey Jones' locker!" Jack's shouting and commanding had been going on all day. She was surprised he wasn't hoarse from all the yelling he'd been doing. _I suppose in a way I understand. It's the first day out to sea. Got to make sure everything is going smoothly_.

"Things will calm down soon, me lady." Kendra started and turned around, having not heard Jack walk up behind her. He didn't seem to notice her jumpiness. "Now, as captain of this ship, it is my duty to ask you one question."

"And what question is that, Jack?"

"That's Captain Jack, young missy." He responded. "Me question is: why did you board me Pearl?"

She shrugged. Time to use that story she'd concocted earlier. "I wanted to get away from Tortuga, but I didn't have the money to properly board a ship."

"So you decided to board a _pirate_ ship, where you might not even have lived to see land again, savvy?" A humored smirk was playing against Jack's lips, making the gold of his molars glisten in the disappearing sunlight. He was a beautiful man, and the array of colors behind her reflected in his almost black eyes.

Kendra shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I didn't really pay attention to what ship I was boarding."

He nodded, accepting her story without much distrust. Vaguely, she realized how they were standing. He had one hand on either side of her, resting on the rail. She was as far away from him as she could get without flipping overboard, and he was still almost touching her. Narrowing her eyes, she reached up and pushed against his chest until he was about arms length away from her.

"I don't trust you Sparrows, Jack." She announced softly.

He smiled. "That's good. I don't trust women who kick me goods either, luv."

This emitted a laugh from her, but she forced it down after a moment. She shouldn't forget her mission. Glancing behind him, she saw three of his men doing nothing but standing around talking on the deck. She looked up at him and said, "I think your duty calls again, Jack."

"Captain." He amended her again before turning away and shouting, "Back to work, you lazy bums!" All three of the men rushed back to their posts after seeing they'd been spotted.

_My mission_, she pondered, remembering all about how she'd come to receive it.

She'd been told by a man named Charlie Talos to go find the Black Pearl and board the ship. She didn't have to be seen on the entire voyage if possible. She was just to stay on the ship and when they reached land she was to contact Charlie and tell him where the Pearl was headed. Charlie was a naval officer, and it had been his life goal to capture Captain Jack Sparrow.

Charlie's reasons for wanting to put the Sparrow away were a mystery to her. Kendra had never really wanted to know. She'd tried asking once, and she'd regretted it. He'd given her the silent treatment for two weeks after she'd asked and refused to even look at her.

He'd found her in an awful condition in Tortuga, so she hadn't been lying to Jack about wanting to get away from Tortuga. She'd just left out the part about Charlie offering her a job as a freelancer for the Royal Navy. She'd taken the job for no charge, just to get away from that damned city. So now here she was. She was to stay on this ship until the Navy came calling, and when the ship was attacked—however long that may take and however many _times_ that may take—she would be picked up by a ship and taken to her city of choice. That was all she'd wanted in return for doing this. And all the pirates on this ship would be tried and hanged.

**Sorry for the short chapter. I just wanted to get Kendra's plans out for yall so you'd know what was going on. I'll try to write more on the next one. And don't forget to review! Its what keeps me alive.**


	3. Slipping Up

Chapter three! Aren't you so proud of me for writing this much? I want reviews, so don't forget to press that lil button when you get done reading this chappie, ok?

Kendra couldn't _believe_ how insanely bored she was. Jack was at the helm steering and ordering the crew around every once in a while. She was sitting on a barrel with her back to him at the starboard side of the ship, staring out over the ocean in the noon sunlight. She liked the way the blue ocean looked, like a thousand sapphires and diamonds sparkling in the light. She watched the waves crash against the side of the ship, detached to everything but the sound of the ocean.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Kendra turned, not so startled this time, to see Jack standing behind her, one hand resting on the rail.

Kendra nodded and turned back to the ocean. "I've never been on a ship before, Jack."

"That's Captain Jack, luv, and stop forgetting it." She smiled. She knew one way to get under Jack Sparrow's skin. There was nothing on Earth that could make her call him Captain now that she knew how to bother him about it. "You say you've never been on a ship before, Kender?"

She had to stop and make sure he was still talking to her. Kender? That was a new one. He was a well-known drunk, though, so it didn't surprise her much that he might say something a little out of the blue once in a while. She nodded in reply to his question.

"Well, we can't be havin' that on the Black Pearl, now can we?" Before she could grasp what was happening, he was carrying her to the helm of the ship in his arms. She shrieked and clung to his shoulders—the only solid thing _for_ her to hold on to. He dropped her in front of the wheel and stood behind her.

"Jack, what are you doing?" She laughed.

He didn't even correct her about not using his title; he was too happy to be behind the wheel again to notice anything like that. "I'm goin' to teach you how to steer me Pearl, Kender."

"You're going to _what_?" She asked, trying to turn around and look at him in disbelief. He wouldn't let her turn around, though.

"No, no! If you're steerin' you gotta know where you're going. So, don't look at _me_, you crazy woman." He took her shoulders and spun her back around. Gently, he took both her hands in his and lifted them to the wheel. "I'm pretty sure it's obvious how you hold it, right? So we won't go over that." She rested her palms against the smooth black wood, and his hands were resting atop hers.

"Close your eyes, Kendra."

"Why?" She asked warily.

"Just do it." When she obeyed, she felt him press his chin on her shoulder lightly as he whispered in her ear. "Listen to the waves of the Caribbean, luv. Feel the deck move beneath you and move with it. Listen to the sounds of the ship rockin'. Feel the wheel under yer hands, and trust the movement of the wind to guide you in the right direction. Relish the feel of it, Kendra. The freedom. The purity."

Kendra sighed and felt her walls collapsing, felt herself relaxing in Jack's secure arms, his hands on hers. The ship creaked around them, the waves crashed soothingly against the sides of the Pearl, and the wind whipped her hair lightly. She could almost taste the scent of him; the musty male scent mixed with the salty sea and a hint of sweet rum. When she felt him move slightly, she opened her eyes to see him standing tall, eyes closed as well, absorbing the feel of it. She glanced down at his calloused hands around hers. The moment was ruined when she saw the tattoos on his arm. The one of the sparrow flying toward the sunset, and the ragged looking P. _This is the man you're turning in to be hanged! You're turning him in and he's a pirate and don't forget that. You're turning him in, you're turning him in, you're turning him in, he's a pirate, you don't trust him, he's a pirate, he's Jack Sparrow, you're turning him in so STOP LETTING HIM TOUCH YOU!_

"Jack." She murmured, removing her hands. "I can't…I'm sorry…"

He removed his hands and held them up like he was being arrested. "I understand, luv. You don't have to apologize."

"I should…I should go." She turned and looked up into his eyes, making a big mistake there. She almost lost herself in those dark eyes, those eyes that seemed to call to her even after she looked away and practically ran to the belly of the ship.

_I don't believe this. I don't _believe_ this!_ Charlie had told her she didn't know what she was getting herself into. Except he'd made it out to sound like Jack was a killer and a rapist and a selfish bastard, not a man she could stand on deck with and just let him hold her while the waves rocked the ship rhythmically. He told her the danger she was putting her life in by sneaking on the Black Pearl. He didn't mention that she might feel herself being attracted to him. Jack Sparrow wasn't a murderer—though she was sure he had killed once in a while—and he wasn't a rapist and he wasn't a bastard. Jack was a gentleman and a sincere man, if not a little mysterious at times. And don't women love the tall, dark, and handsome types? Jack Sparrow fit every one of those descriptions. He was tall…well…taller than her. He was very dark and mysterious, and his eyes were dark and alluring. And he was _extremely_ handsome. No, handsome was too mild of a word. There wasn't a word for Jack. He was just…Jack. He was truly a wonderful gentleman; not like the men in society. _How can I turn this man in to be hung for being different from all the others?_

Kendra definitely hadn't known what she getting herself into when she signed up for this job. _I was just looking for a way off of Tortuga. Why did everything have to be so difficult?_

**Please review. It makes me happy and makes me want to keep writing. And you know you wanna know what happens, right? Right? Yeah, that's what I thought. :)**


	4. Whole Lotta History

**Okay, youz guyz. Don't you forget to review after this now, ya hear?**

Kendra paced in her small makeshift room for hours and didn't even notice that she was doing so until someone knocked on her door.

"Yes?" She asked irritably. She didn't want anyone interrupting her thoughts.

The door opened to reveal Mr. Gibbs. "The captain wishes to speak with you in his cabin, m'lady." Gibbs said.

"Now?" She still had no idea what she should do with the captain. Charlie had also threatened her with this job. She remembered his words clearly.

"If something happens to you, we'll attack his ship before he even knows what hit him. But if you help him, you'll be hanged along side with him on the count of piracy as well. Understood?"

Oh yes. She'd understood quite clearly. It was either turn this man in or be killed by either the pirates or Charlie's officers. But the threat hadn't bothered her. She'd been so desperate to get away from Tortuga that she'd barely heard his words at all.

"Yes, miss. Now." Gibbs was saying. Kendra shook herself and nodded curtly. She followed the salt-and-pepper haired man to the captain's cabin, where the door was closed before her. Mr. Gibbs opened it for her and motioned for her to go inside and closed the door behind her.

The cabin was very comfortable-looking. It had a warm feeling about it, and she found herself strongly pulled into the room, completely ignoring the captain, whose back was to her. Jack had a cabinet open and was rummaging through different bottles and boxes. Kendra heard him mutter, "Ah ha!" Moments later, he closed the cabinet doors with a bottle of rum in hand. When he turned around and spotted her in the doorway, he jumped back slightly.

"What?" He asked when she stared at him expectantly.

"You sent for me."

"What?" His brow furrowed with a frown.

"You sent for me."

"Did I?" He rubbed his chin absently. "I don't remember doin' that, but all right." He stopped and stared at her again for a minute thoughtfully before shrugging. "Don't 'member what for." He ambled over to the double bed and lay down heavily, letting his bottle of rum drop to the floor with a _thump_ beside the bed.

"Rough day?" Kendra asked. _There's no harm in talking to him. You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer._

He nodded and closed his eyes. "The first day out is always the toughest, on everyone." He covered his eyes with one hand briefly before looking up at her.

She walked unsteadily to the side of the bed and picked up the bottle. Opening it, she took a generous swig and felt it burn down her throat. "And where did you acquire a taste for this beverage, Mr. Sparrow?" _Getting to know him won't hurt a thing._

To her surprise, he laughed heartily. She smiled upon hearing his laugh without meaning to do so. It was the kind that drew you in even if you didn't understand why the laughter was going on in the first place. "Well, that's a lotta history, Kender." He sat up and leaned his back against the headboard. He moved over and offered her a seat on the bed beside him. She hesitated only briefly before sitting down beside him and handing him the bottle.

"I have time." She urged him to continue.

He gazed up at the ceiling with a small smile on his face. "I drank my first bottle of rum with my first pirate crew. They were a lil rough around the edges, but they were good about teaching a rookie everythin' he needed to know to become the best. Ye gotta understand what Tortuga is like for a pirate to understand this story. We was in Tortuga celebrating a raid on a merchant ship that had been transporting a shipment of jewels. They actually limited my amount of rum for the first few times til I was more tolerant, and then if I ever got drunk they just laughed at me." He paused for a laugh. "They were good men…good pirates." He glanced at her. "Ye aren't much of a drinker, are ye?"

She smiled sheepishly and shook her head.

"So, why is it that you decided to board me ship, Kender?" He asked seriously.

She looked away. "Well…" she began. "That's a whole lot of history."

"We have time. The rest of the night in fact." He waved a hand around, as was his habit, as he spoke.

She didn't really want to tell him the story, partly because it was half-true. In it, she just left out the part about Charlie hiring her. "Well, to put it mildly, you know that Tortuga isn't the safest place for a woman to be unless she wants to sell herself."

Jack lost all traces of the smirk that usually graced his lips and his eyes became deathly serious. "Ye mean someone…to you?" He didn't seem to want to speak it.

She nodded.

"Unwillingly?"

"Yes, of course, Jack. So, I figured it didn't matter what ship I got on as long as I got away from the place it happened." She stared at the quilt on the bed, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She remembered it like it was yesterday. A drunken man's calloused hands roaming her body and hitting her when she struggled or screamed. His body pressing against hers. Desperately, she tried forcing the memory of it away. She didn't want to cry, not now. Not when she was supposed to be a spy on this ship. She was supposed to be strong. She wasn't supposed to cry. A strangled sob escaped her throat anyway, and two hot tears began their descent down her cheeks.

"Ah, luv. No tears, now." Jack put his arms around her and allowed her to use him as a giant pillow. She pressed her face into his chest, her hands on the back of his neck, as she finally gave into the tears after two months of trying to push the memory of her rape away.

When her sobs finally subsided and she could speak reasonably normally, she sat up slightly, though not enough to slip out of his protective embrace. For some reason, she found her position quite comforting and relaxing with his arms around her and her leaning against him, her palms flat against his chest. "I'm sorry, Jack…" she trailed off and just touched the part of his shirt that was now wet with her tears.

"Don' worry about it, Kender. There'll be a clean spot there, now." He paused and stared down at her contemplatively. "When did this happen?"

She sniffed. "About two months ago."

"And ye didn't bother thinking it could've happened again on a pirate ship, eh?"

She shook her head. "As long as I got away from Tortuga I don't think I cared there for a while until it was too late." Kendra shrugged, refusing to meet his gaze.

"And do ye still think it may happen?" His voice was soft and unreadable. She looked up at him, studying him for some sign of emotion. She couldn't make it out. There were too many to identify in those dark brown eyes.

Slowly, she shook her head. "No, I don't think I'm in danger on this ship, for some reason."

"That's good, luv. That's very good. No one on the Black Pearl will hurt you for as long as I am captain." He smiled broadly, his golden teeth glimmering in the dim light.

"That makes me feel all warm inside." Kendra joked and leaned her head on his shoulder. She felt him shaking with soft laughter and smiled. "So, can I stay?"

"Can you stay?" Jack asked, reaching his hand under her chin and lifting her face up to his, a look of confusion and determination on his face. "That was never a question. You can stay for as long as you wish, my dear Kendra."

_Well, I guess that's a good thing._ She slouched down onto the bed and closed her eyes. She could feel the bed shift as he followed soon after her and put his arm behind her head to act as a pillow for her. Resting her head in the crook of his neck, she closed her eyes fell into an uneasy sleep.

Don't get attached to him. Things will only end badly if you get attached to him.

**Ok! I only have 2 reviews so far. I don't want 2 reviews. I want four reviews. And after that I want 8 reviews. And after that I want 16 reviews. Okay, I think you got the pic. That means….REVIEW! It's what keeps me going. I may just stop posting if I don't get more reviews…;)**


	5. Trouble and Bloodshed

Okay, I haven't put this for a while so here goes. I don't own anything concerning Pirates of the Caribbean. I own nothing that you recognize. I do, however, own Kendra…and…lemme think. That's it. I own Kendra. She's mine! Get your own! Lol.

"Cap'n!" Someone banged loudly on the cabin door, and Jack moaned involuntarily as his eyes protested opening to see the sunlight filtering in through the windows.

"Whaddya want?" Jack asked and threw the pillow at the woman in the doorway: Annamaria pulled the door to protect her and then threw it back at him.

"You might wanna come look at this, Cap'n. We've got a problem."

Jack sighed. "Aye. Gimme a minute."

"Yes, Jack." Annamaria bowed mockingly before turning to go.

"That's Captain Jack, mate!" Jack yelled after her.

Kendra opened her eyes upon feeling the pillow hit her in the head that Annamaria had thrown at Jack. She placed her hand on his stomach and opened her eyes, but she groaned and closed them when she saw bright sunlight.

"Aye, my thoughts exactly, Kender." Jack said softly, tickling her back with his fingertips. "I gotta go, darlin'. Get off me."

Only then did Kendra fully realize how they had been sleeping. One of her legs was thrown across both of his. Her head was resting on his chest, and her arm was resting across his stomach. Her last thought from the night before felt like a strike in the face now.

_Don't get attached to him_.

She jerked out of his grasp and stood up, straightening her clothes from the night before. "I'm sorry, Jack." She muttered and turned to go. _I can't be doing this. I can't befriend him, because when I turn him in I'll only hurt him…why do I _care_ if I hurt him, though? He's a bloody pirate!_

She went to the helm of the ship, wondering absently what all the fuss on deck was about. When she turned to look at what Annamaria and Mr. Gibbs was staring at, she saw white sails on the horizon.

"Now, what the bloody hell is goin' on out here?" She heard Jack say, and moments later he was striding up to the helm, with Annamaria on his heels.

"It's a Naval ship, _Captain_." She put emphasis on his title, but he ignored her.

"So, what's yer point, Anna?" Jack asked, taking the wheel, completely unconcerned with the ship inching closer and closer to the Pearl.

"They're flying the Lima, sir." Anna handed him a telescope, and he looked through it hastily. When he brought it down from his eye, his face displayed his confusion.

"And why would they be flyin' that flag on us now? Why do they want us to follow them, and where do they want us to follow them to?"

"What do we do, Cap'n?" Gibbs asked, coming up to stand on Jack's other side. Kendra stood by the rail behind them, unnoticed.

Their captain didn't reply at first, and when Kendra was beginning to think he wasn't going to offer a solution, he shouted to someone on deck, "Raise the November."

"What's the November mean, Jack?" Kendra asked. She knew the Lima was 'follow me', but she had no idea what the November flag meant.

All three of the pirates turned, obviously surprised she was standing there. Jack recovered quickly and replied, "The November means 'no'. I'm letting them know I understand their message, but I refuse to obey them." Turning back to the deck, he commanded, "Fly the Jolly Roger at my order next, mate!" He ordered to the pirate raising the November.

Kendra watched him raise the spyglass back to his eye, and when he could see the men on the Naval ship spot the November, he shouted, "Jolly Roger! I don't trust the government in these waters. If they want to play games, they can play them when I haven't just woken up." He strode to Kendra next, no hint of amusement in his eyes. "You probably shouldn' be up 'ere when we attack, luv."

Kendra shrugged. "I've been through worse, Jack. I can handle a little bloodshed."

"Ye sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure, Jack. You just worry about you, your crew, and your ship."

"Do me one favor?" When she nodded tentatively, he requested, "Go to me cabin and get the sword in the trunk at the foot of me bed. Use that if anyone attacks you, awright?" Glancing toward the ship that was almost upon them, he said, "And hurry. It's almost time."

Kendra ran to the captain's cabin, rummaged through the trunk until she found a sheathed sword, threw the scabbard onto the bed, and ran back outside and back to the helm, where the captain stood tall. When Jack saw her, he withdrew his own sword and tapped hers with his.

"I hope ye know how to use one of those."

She shrugged. "Not really, but I think I can learn if the situation calls for it."

"Aye, and it very well may in few minutes."

Kendra heard a thunderous explosion that made her ears ring, and the next thing she knew a blur flew right between Jack and herself, barely missing the captain of the Black Pearl. They both nearly toppled over in surprise.

"They're firing at us, Cap'n!" A pirate on deck shouted.

"Thank you!" Jack barked back sarcastically.

"Awaitin' your orders, Jack."

"Broadside, as soon as they turn their port side to face us." Jack replied softly to Mr. Gibbs, who then ran to the deck to tell the crew his command without alerting the naval ship.

"Broadside? Port side?" Kendra asked, deeply confused. A sickening feeling in her gut told her that naval ship was part of Charlie's fleet, and that it was about to sink into the ocean from this attack against the Black Pearl. Jack was far too intelligent when it came to fighting on the sea for the opposing ship to win.

"That means we're going to fire all our cannons on one side of the ship simultaneously against their left side. Left side is the port side, luv, and the right side is the starboard side. They're on our starboard side, so when they turn their port side to face us, we're going to fire all our cannons on that side and send them down as quickly as possible. I don't want them boardin' me ship." Jack explained patiently.

"You're going to sink their ship?"

His eyes widened. "Why wouldn't I? They fired on us first. This is self-defense, luv. I mighta looted their ship and whatnot, but who's to argue that? This is a pirate ship, Kender. This is what we do." _There's that smirk he was missing a second ago. And that little glimmer in his eye is back with a vengeance. He thinks this is all a game._ Kendra's thoughts became sour, but she managed to keep her face straight and void of emotion and nod her head.

"It is, isn't it?" She agreed.

"Somethin' wrong, me lady?"

She shook her head. She thought it best to end the conversation before she slapped him for killing unnecessary people. And, what if Charlie is on that ship? Instantly, the thought cut itself off. _Charlie wouldn't be attacking Jack this early in the game. He'll wait a while before he picks me up. He'll wait until we reach land again and he knows where the Pearl is going before bothering to get on a ship himself to attack. And when he does choose to attack, I'm sure it will be much more tactical than this is._

Jack patted her on the shoulder before jogging down to the deck to make sure everything was prepared for battle. When everything was set and the navy ship—which Kendra could now see was named _White Avenger_—was turning its port side to face the Pearl, she heard Jack shout, "Fire!"

Kendra had thought one cannon was loud, but to have so many go off at the same time was deafening. After the explosive sound, everything around her seemed to fall deathly silent. She knew the other ship was crashing in on itself, and she should be able to hear the wood cracking and breaking, but all she could hear was silence. Wondering if anyone else had been affected so severely, she turned to see Jack ordering the pirates around. None of them were deaf. They were all used to it. But this was the first time Kendra had experienced something so loud.

Movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she turned to see the remaining men from the ship swinging aboard the Black Pearl. Brandishing her weapon, Kendra waited defensively. She wouldn't run into battle like the pirates because she was working for these men, but if one of them attacked her she could and would kill him to keep her real reasons for boarding the Black Pearl a secret.

And sure enough, one of the men ran in her direction. He parried her blow with his own sword, hatred for these pirates and all aboard the black ship twinkling insanely in his eyes. _This man has already accepted death; he just wants to take as many as he can out with him before he goes._ But he wasn't as hard to defeat as she expected him to be. He was a good sword fighter, but his footwork was off. He stumbled and met the end of her sword with his middle.

Kendra turned, searching for her captain. She found him on deck fighting two sailors extravagantly. She noted his footwork, watching him for a moment and trying to remember the steps to help her fight better. It was useless. He was too fast for her to watch accurately. Maybe she would ask him to teach her later. She ran down the stairs to the deck to help him. She snuck up on one of the sailors and stabbed him in the back, and Jack silently thanked her with his eyes and continued his pursuit against the other one.

It was as he turned away from her that she noticed the dying sailor behind him, holding a cocked pistol in one hand.

"_Jack!_" Kendra screamed and pushed him.

Time seemed to slow down. She felt like she could _see_ the bullet as Jack twisted around to see why she was trying to push him. She watched it enter into his shoulder and lodge itself inside him. She watched the crimson blood pour out of him as he dropped to the ground. She didn't even feel herself throw her sword at the one Jack had been fighting, stabbing him through the heart. The guy who'd shot the pistol had died immediately after pulling the trigger. The rest of the pirates were quickly dispersing of the other sailors.

"Jack!" Kendra dropped to her knees beside him and pressed her hands against the wound, trying to stifle the hemorrhaging. "Jack…no don't close your eyes. Look at me." She slapped him lightly in the cheek to get his attention. He was losing blood…this was too much for her to stop without burning it closed. "Look at me! Gibbs!" She shouted to the pirate nearby, who ran to her side upon seeing his injured captain.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He was shot. I need you to help me get him to his room." Together, they managed to pull him to his feet and drag him to his cabin, where he collapsed on the bed. She had to think of a way to get the bullet out and stop the bleeding.

It never occurred to her that she was trying to save her enemy. Maybe things would've been simpler if she'd just left him there to bleed to death then…


	6. To kill or not to kill

**Okay, here goes Chapter 6! I hope you're all enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I'm sorry I didn't write this last nite. We rented Phantom Of The Opera (I recommend that movie, it was awesome!). So, I made this one longer than all the others to make up for it. Enjoy!**

"We have to stop the bleeding." Kendra announced softly to Gibbs. "Go get me a knife and something to heat it with, and hurry. He's losing blood fast."

"How do you know what you're doin', lass?" He asked. The door behind him opened to reveal Anna Maria.

"I worked in a tavern in Tortuga for a while, and a few of the drunks got a little happy with their pistols one night." She received hard stares at the mention of working in a tavern. She frowned. "I served drinks, you idiots, and that's all." The stares ceased upon hearing she had more respect for herself than they first thought. "Now, _go get me a knife and something to heat it with_." She said viciously. Gibbs quickly nodded and ran off, trying to do it as hastily as possible to get his captain back to health.

"You," Kendra nodded to Anna Maria. "Stay here. I'll need you here in a little while." She turned to Jack, whose eyes were closed, but it was evident by the pain on his face that he was still conscious.

"Jack," Kendra said softly and touched his good shoulder. She sat down beside him and took stock of him. She needed to get his coat and shirt off to clean the wound. "Sit up. Hold onto me. That's it, come on." She helped him sit up and wrap one arm around her neck while she struggled to pull the coat off.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." Jack muttered, but that didn't stop him from trying to help her any way he could. When she finally got it off him, she threw it over her shoulder into the floor and lowered him back onto the bed. After that, she jerked his shirt over his head, revealing a muscular, bronze chest from hours of hard labor in the sunlight. "Try to stay awake, Jack."

"Captain." He mumbled, causing an unintended smile to grace her lips.

"Try to stay awake, _Captain_." She amended herself, stroking his sweat-soaked forehead. She waited impatiently for Gibbs to return, and when he did he had the knife in one hand and an oil lamp in the other.

"Thank you, Mr. Gibbs." She muttered and proceeded to heat the knife. "Jack, this is going to sting a little."

"I've been shot before now, luv. I know how much it hurts." He said and opened his eyes.

"Yeah…Anna, will you get on his right side? Mr. Gibbs, will you hold his left arm still while I…dig the bullet out?" She winced, not even wanting to _imagine_ how much it would hurt.

"Try to be quick about it, eh, Kender?" Jack asked wearily.

She nodded, staring into those tired brown eyes. "I'll try. It depends on how deep the bullet went." She stared down at him sympathetically.

"Best get on with it, me lady." Gibbs urged her softly.

"Right." She shook herself out of her trance and crawled onto the bed to get a better angle. "Ready?"

Jack shook his head. "No, but do it anyway, luv."

She took a breath to steady herself and then plunged two fingers inside the hole where the bullet was lodged. He stifled a scream and his back arched on the bed. "Whoa, Jack." Kendra tried pushing him back down, and when that didn't work she straddled him and pushed her fingers farther into his shoulder.

"Can you feel it?" Anna Maria asked.

Kendra shook her head. "No, I can't. Give me a second. It went deeper than I thought it did."

"Just get it out of me!" Jack hissed through his teeth, his eyes closed and his breath coming in sharp gasps.

"I'm trying!" She shouted back. She glanced at Anna Maria, who was straining with all her might to keep Jack's right arm from getting out of her grasp. Anna just stared at her, waiting for some sign that she found the bullet. When Kendra glanced down at Anna's hold on Jack, she caught a glimpse of a leather belt around Anna's hips.

"Oh, that would help." Hastily with her free hand, Kendra jerked her own belt that held up her trousers off of her and folded it. "Jack, open your mouth and get ready. I think I can feel the bullet." She stuck the leather between Jack's jaws and stuck her other two fingers inside the injury, earning herself another scream from Jack, and this time a curse as well. She grabbed at the bullet and pulled it out slowly, careful not to let it slip out of her grasp.

She felt Jack's tense muscles give out on him, felt him breathe a sigh of relief. She noticed, though, that every now and then he would tense slightly when a wave of pain hit him. _If I had something I could give him to numb the pain I would, but…_she stopped her thought in mid-sentence as an idea hit her.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" She asked and hit herself in the head.

"Think of what?"

She didn't answer Anna Maria. Instead, she hopped off the bed and ran to Jack's cabinet. Throwing open the doors, she grabbed a bottle of rum and ran back to him, unconsciously sitting on top of him again because she wasn't quite finished with her job yet.

"Sit up, Jack. Drink this." She pulled him into a sitting position and held the bottle to his lips. He drank obediently until she took it away from him and lowered him back onto the bed.

"Ye mean this entire time coulda been painless an' you remembered the rum _after_ ye're finished?" He asked wearily.

"Oh, I'm not finished. I've still got to burn the hole closed."

"Ah, well in that case gimme that bottle." He took a few more swallows—in the process downing the rest of the bottle—and looked up at her. "I guess I owe you one, eh?"

"What for?" Kendra asked curiously. Was that the rum or the pain talking, or was he being serious?

"That bullet woulda killed me if you hadn't pushed me so that it only hit me shoulder." He replied. "I owe you my life."

_Oh, no. He owes me his life…and I'm going to turn him in to destroy it._ "No, you don't." Glancing at Mr. Gibbs, she asked, "Would you hand me that knife?"

"Excuse me, miss." Anna Maria cut in before she could start burning him. "But one bottle of rum won't be enough to make him so drunk that he won't feel nothin'. It might take about four more before he's numb. Jack 'ere 'as a high alcohol tolerance."

"It's enough, Anna. He's already half-conscious. That should be just enough. He'll still feel it, but it won't be nearly as bad as it would be if he were completely sober." She held the knife ready, nodded to Gibbs and Anna to take a firm grip, and pressed the knife just inside the wound to close off the bleeding veins and capillaries.

* * *

Anna, Gibbs, and Kendra stood just outside the cabin door, talking. Jack had passed out from the pain not long after Kendra had begun burning the veins closed, but the bleeding had stopped and he was still breathing and that was all she cared about at the moment. _But why do I care?_

"What are we goin' ta do?" Anna Maria asked.

"Who's the first mate on this ship?" Kendra asked.

They both shrugged. "Jack never actually established one. He was never injured badly enough not ta give tha orders around here."

"All right, then. How about you two share the captain's seat for a while until Jack is back on his feet? You both can run the ship until Jack is more able. I know you're good sailors and good pirates, and I know he trusts you." Kendra reasoned.

They both glanced at each other and nodded, accepting their duty. They both shook hands and said, "Aye," in agreement to the plan.

"And what are you ta do, Kendra?" Mr. Gibbs asked.

"I think the lil lass should tend to the cap'n. She seems to know how to handle the situation better than anyone else aboard. She can make sure our captain is in tiptop condition while we make sure everythin' else is in order." Anna Maria decided.

"Deal." Kendra crossed her forearms and shook hands with both of them. "You two go check on the rest of the crew and make sure they aren't injured too badly, and I'll go check on our beloved captain."

They parted ways, and Kendra fetched a pail of water and a washcloth before going to Jack's side. She wanted to clean the wound, and she wanted to clean the blood off herself.

She cleaned herself off before starting on the unconscious pirate on the bed. She stopped just before sitting down beside him. _I could end it right now. I could end Jack's life now and Charlie would do anything to repay me._ She tried imagining herself wrapping her hands around that throat as he slept, but it was a blurry image that she couldn't picture well. And in that moment, she knew she couldn't kill him. _But the question isn't whether or not I can kill him. It's whether or not I can rat out his location so someone _else_ can kill him. Can I really do that? Do I want to do that?_ She sat down huffily on the bed. Carefully, she dipped the washcloth in the water and pressed it against Jack's wounded shoulder. The injury was actually in a sensitive area. The area below the collarbone and just off the shoulder.

"Ye've no idea how good that feels after you put that hot metal on me, luv." Jack's deep voice made Kendra nearly jump out of her boots. But she smiled when her mind registered his words.

"Good. I'm glad you're awake, by the way. I might've gotten concerned if you didn't wake up soon."

"Ah, ye were worried about me then?" He smiled for the first time since he was shot, his gold caps gleaming in the candlelight.

"Only a little bit." She teased and held her finger and thumb about a centimeter apart to show him how much a 'little bit' actually was.

"Oh, it's goin' ta be like that then, is it luv?" He asked, closing his eyes contentedly.

She nodded even though he couldn't see it and smiled wickedly. "Yeah, it's going to be like that." She hesitated only briefly before continuing her taunting. "If you hadn't gone and gotten yourself _shot_, then things _might_ be a little bit different."

"Well, I can't really help that, now can I? I couldn't see the one doin' the shootin', Kender." He opened his eyes and winked at her before closing them again.

They trailed off into silence, and Kendra continued washing the dried blood off Jack's gunshot wound. She watched him quietly, watching his muscles slack wearily. She was actually surprised he'd woken up so quickly. She'd estimated that he'd sleep the rest of the day and through the entire night, but here he was, wide-awake.

_Why did they attack the ship if they were Charlie's men? That doesn't make any sense…unless Charlie is still planning on attacking Jack even though I'm on board the ship. Technically, I mean nothing to him. That would explain his lack of protection of my safety. So, do I want to work for someone so cruel to help imprison and kill someone as honest and gentlemanly as Jack Sparrow, even though Jack's name reeks of danger in the civilized world? He's really not as bad as they all make him out to be. He just does what he must to make his own living in this world. Maybe Jack's way is correct, and society is the one who is screwed up. If Jack saw a boy mistreating a girl like the way I was, would he have just let it happen, or would he have stood up to the man for the woman's well-being? I'm almost positive he would have helped the girl, not just sat back and let it happen…that's also assuming I was in public when I was…raped._ She gulped unintentionally, and Jack opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"What?"

"What 'what'?"

"What was tha' for?"

"What was what for?" Kendra feigned clueless.

"Ye know what. Let's hear it." He pushed himself up so he was sitting up and leaning his back against the headboard.

Kendra hesitated. She didn't want to lie to him; she felt no reason to lie. In fact, she was compelled not to. Her heart told her she could trust him, but her mind still screamed for her not to. She couldn't decide which one to listen to.

Perhaps a bit of both then. Don't tell him about Charlie. Just tell him what you think about society.

"Hypothetically speaking, Jack," she said. "Say…if you saw a teenage boy mistreating a girl—touching her the wrong way or something—would you do something about it, or would you just watch from afar and let it happen?"

He stared at her intently for a minute, making her feel particularly vulnerable under his mystifyingly dark eyes, before speaking. "I'd stop what I saw was wrong. Teach the boy some manners. Ye don't mistreat a lady. They're the ones who 'ave yer kids. Ye don't mistreat the ones who will give ye the next generation, savvy?" He explained, making her sigh inwardly with relief.

She nodded.

"Why do ye wonder about somethin' like that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know…okay yes I do. I was just wondering about why everyone thinks you're such a bad person. I mean, when I got on this ship and I finally realized what I was doing and where I was, I admit I was scared. I mean, you're pirates, right? Pirates are known to be ruthless, cruel people. But you're not like that, at least you don't seem to be." She barely paused to breathe. She was on a roll now, her thoughts spilling out faster than she intended them to. "So, then I thought maybe it was society who was bad, and not you. Because people in normal society would just watch something like that happen even if it wasn't right. They'd just frown and say to themselves 'that boy needs to learn respect', but they wouldn't do anything about it. But why would people be like that? Why wouldn't they do all they can to make the world better? I mean, why would they want to hunt you down and kill you if you're the kind of person who would stop something inappropriate like that from happening, even if you do steal a few things every once in a while—."

"Kendra—."

"—Because what they're doing is wrong too, right? I mean, sitting back and watching something going wrong in the world and not doing anything is the same thing as doing it yourself because—."

"Kendra—."

"—You aren't trying to do anything to stop it right? But then I wonder…what kind of world are we in if everyone is evil like that and—."

"Kender!" He finally caught her attention by using her nickname. He put both hands on the back of her neck and shook her slightly. "It's awright, luv. And as for your little…outburst…I don't know the answer. I know I'm not the only one who would try to do somethin' ta stop somethin' inappropriate like a boy letting his hand slip on a girl or somethin' like that nature. There are good people in the world, luv. Don' get me wrong, because there are still people in the world other than a handful of pirates who would do somethin' to stop it. But the world isn't a nice place; never has been, in my opinion." She nodded minutely. "But you can't get all the answers. No one can. Try not to fret too much over my well-being, aye?"

She nodded again and let her head fall forward slightly. "Aye, Jack."

"Ye worry too much, Kender. If there's one thing yer gonna learn on this ship, it's not to worry so much. Things have a way of workin' out on their own."

_But what if I'm the one who has to decide which way it works out? I can let you go and be hunted down like pirate for the rest of my life like you, or I can turn you in and be a hero in society's eyes. And do I even want to live up to society's standards anymore?_

"Not always, Jack. Not always."

**Okay, now all you have to do is press that lil button down on the left hand corner of the screen and type in a few words to tell me how I'm doin. I need to survive, savvy? ;) Later, mate! (Wow…I just looked over this chapter and that's really long for me, ain't it! How awesome is that?)**


	7. Giving In

**Ha! I'm on a roll tonite. I'll probably get two chapters up tonite, but if not then I'll post this in the morning. School's out for the summer now, so I'll have plenty of time to keep updating—that is as long as those reviews keep rollin' in, of course! Now, on with the story!**

"What makes you say that, luv?" Jack asked, completely serious. His trademark smirk was gone, even from his eyes. He seemed to know the depth of her words.

"Not everything always works out on its own, Jack. I can't explain. I'm sorry. Sometimes things just don't work out for the best." Kendra refused to meet his gaze.

"Why do ye say tha'?" His voice was almost a whisper.

She shook her head. "I can't explain." _Unless I want you to hate me_, she finished in her mind.

Vaguely, she realized his hands were still on the back of her neck, and very deliberately she took his hands away. But she didn't let go of him, and he didn't seem too keen on moving away. And they just sat there for a while like that in silence, their hands grazing.

When she realized what she was doing, she took a breath slightly and said, "Jack, I—."

She started to pull her hands away, but he didn't let go. "Shh, Kendra." He raised a hand and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "It's awright. Yer too tense is all."

_With good bloody reason, Sparrow. One, you're a pirate. Two, I'm supposed to rat you out to be hanged as soon as bloody possible. What the hell am I _doing

But even though her mind screamed at her not to, she felt herself giving in to his tenderness, felt her body slack and lean against his, felt her head relax on his shoulder softly, and felt his fingertips graze her neck. She watched her arm encircle his stomach, and felt the tears caress her cheeks on their descent to Jack's shoulder.

"What is it?" He asked when he noticed she was crying.

She shook her head, and when he tried lifting her face so he could look at her, she turned her face against his neck and refused to let him see her. She didn't know what she might say if she looked into his eyes. She might let her secret slip, that she was a freelance agent for a Naval officer. And she didn't want to hurt Jack. She didn't want to tell him that she was hired to betray him. She couldn't tell him, and she couldn't betray him, but she also couldn't run from the British navy for the rest of her life.

_What if I can run with Jack?_ No. She shook the thought from her head. _That would never work, especially if he ever found out you were working for them. He'd probably maroon you on an island and leave you to die or something._ Kendra didn't want to hurt him.

"Kendra, please talk to me." He pleaded.

"I can't, Jack. I'm sorry, but I can't." She finally raised her head to look up at him, her eyes red and rimmed with unshed tears, her cheeks stained with salty moisture.

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, just comforting her. He didn't even understand what was going on, and yet he still comforted her and tried to soothe her. _How can I let someone this gentle be hanged, pirate or no?_ He whispered into her ear, "It's awright, luv. Not sure I understand wha's wrong, but everything will be fine. I promise."

_How can you make promises when you really have no idea of the outcome?_ Kendra wanted desperately to believe him; she just couldn't bring herself false hope in case she was disappointed.

_I have to tell him. I have to tell him everything._ She looked up at him, losing herself in his dark eyes. _I can't do it. I can't bear to see how he'll look at me and what he will do if I tell him_.

Instead, she tried forcing her thoughts away for just a few moments. She wanted to as Jack said: to stop worrying so much. So, she focused on what was in front of her. Jack Sparrow. She focused on his eyes and how they seemed to fill her vision, making her drown in darkness. When she barely felt his mouth against hers, she pulled back.

"Jack…" She muttered, shaking her head desperately. "We can't—."

"Yes, we can." With those words, his lips descended down onto hers.

His mouth on hers was like electricity shocking her every nerve. His lips were sweet and sensitive, knowing exactly how to move to make her swoon at his touch. He tasted sweet and warm, and when he placed a hand on her waist it was surreal to her. She barely knew what she was doing, except that she was responding to his soft touch.

There wasn't a rough bone in Jack's body. Every movement he made, every touch she felt, was soothing and comforting and gentle, silently confiding to her that he would never harm her.

Gently cupping his cheeks in her hands, she pulled away, her expression torn between sadness and longing. "Jack, I _can't_ do this. I can't."

He nodded, but his eyes were questioning.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I want to, I just can't."

"What's stopping you, if it's something you want?" He asked softly, his eyes unlike she'd ever seen them. They were raw with emotion.

She shook her head. "I can't say, not yet."

Reluctantly, he nodded. She bit her lip to hold back tears and put her forehead on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jack." She whispered.

He tilted her face up to see his. "Don't worry, luv. I understand…awright, no I don't. But I won't push a lady into somethin' she don't wanna do, savvy?" Seeing her lack of belief, he hugged her carefully, avoiding applying pressure on his wound. "It's awright, Kender."

She smiled. She had no idea where he got that nickname from, but it just sounded special coming from his mouth.

"I should probably go, Jack. I need to go check and see how Anna Maria and Mr. Gibbs are handling your ship."

"Ye put them in charge?" He asked, pulling away from her to inspect her face.

She nodded. "I could tell you trust them, and they seem like good pirates and good sailors to me, so I told them to run the ship together until you're back on your feet."

"Aye. Ye did a fine job pickin' me first mates. Honestly, I never thought I'd be hurt bad enough not to be able to run the ship all by me onesies." He shook his head. "And you? Are ye workin' on me ship too?"

"Of course, Jack." Kendra said and stood up, backing toward the door as she spoke. "My job is to take care of you. Your crew wants their captain back."

She turned to go, but Jack called her back with, "Oh, Kender?"

"Hm?"

"That's Captain Jack, luv."

Kendra just smiled and walked out of the room. And that was when she had to stop herself. _What just happened in that room? I can't believe I kissed him_.

**Okay, now don't you guyz forget to review! It's what keeps me writing!**


	8. Snitching and Shattering

**Anyone know when the last time was I put a disclaimer on here? No? Well, all righty then. Here goes nuffink:**

**I own nothing of Pirates of the Caribbean. It all belongs to whoever the dudes are that wrote it and produced it and directed it and acted it. I'm just borrowing it for a while. I hope that isn't a problem?**

**Oh, but I do own Laleira. That island is mine, savvy?**

**Forfirith Vebriclya: She will tell him EVENTUALLY, and I know he's perfect, but he does do something to her. Sorry! Wouldn't you be mad too, if you were in his position? The girl he's falling for is a spy for the British Navy! That would make me pretty upset.**

"Land ho!"

The words didn't fully register in Kendra's mind until she was out on deck and staring at the mass of land before them. It was a large, coastal city, packed together with buildings and streets and houses. Beyond the docks and the city was a forest, which no doubt led to yet another city.

_Oh, no. It's time. I have to do this. I have to tell Charlie's men where Jack is headed…wait. Where is Jack headed?_

Using every acting skill she'd ever picked up, she nonchalantly walked to the helm of the ship to stand with the still-injured but exceedingly stubborn captain. He refused to let Anna Maria and Gibbs run his ship for longer than a day. He'd been shot two days ago, and now he was steering the ship into port. Kendra was still amazed he was able to move that much.

"So where are we, Jack?" She asked and came to stand beside him, staring at the coast before them.

"Place called Laleira. We'll only be a day, two days tops. All we 'ave to do is pick up a few supplies, and then it's back to the deep blue, luv."

"Where do you think we'll be headed after we leave here?"

He shrugged. "It depends on who we meet along the way, I suppose." He glanced at her. "Why the sudden interest?"

She shrugged. "Am I still welcome to stay on the ship after we leave Laleira?"

He nodded without hesitation. _Wrong answer, Jack._ "Of course."

_Can I really do this to these people? They treat me like family._

* * *

"I'll be back in about an hour, all right, Jack?" Kendra called over her shoulder as she walked down the plank.

"All right! Be careful!" He yelled back as he helped the crew with the task of taking down the sails. Or rather, he was supervising while they worked their tails off.

_Be careful? Why does he care if I'm careful?_ She wondered idly as she strolled down the streets of Laleira.

She wandered absently for about thirty minutes before coming across a dark alley off to her right. She didn't heed it at first, until a strong hand suddenly covered her mouth. An arm wrapped around her waist, and the next thing she knew she was being dragged unwillingly into the alley.

"What the bloody _hell_ are you doing?" She asked as the dark-skinned man, easily a head taller than she was, set her down before him. Another man, this one pale, appeared out of the shadows behind him.

"We're here on behalf of Charlie." The pale one stepped forward and offered her his hand, which she declined sourly.

"You couldn't have gotten my attention some other way?" She asked bitterly.

He shrugged. "We didn't want one of the pirates to risk seeing you with us of your free will. It was strictly for your safety."

She sneered, "Yes, well if I have a heart attack then you wouldn't be doing your job very well, not would you?"

He sighed. "To the point, Kendra. Where is Jack headed?"

The big moment. Could she bear to tell them what she knew? She didn't know. But suddenly the prospect of running for the rest of her life had a very bleak outlook, and she found herself saying almost against her will, "He doesn't know where he's going. He said it depends on who he runs into out on the ocean." _Damn it. Why does this feel so wrong?_

To her disgust, the two men grinned evilly, and the black man revealed a gold-capped tooth. "We can use that to our advantage and decide where he goes."

"No!" She shouted, and they stared at her with surprise displayed in their eyes. "I mean…don't attack his ship while I'm on board. If something happens to me, you won't have your source anymore, right? Just lay low for a while and let me do all the work."

Their expressions told her they didn't fully believe her excuse for them not attacking the ship. She suspected Charlie had a back-up plan for if she betrayed him. They were probably looking out for the signs. But, to her surprise, they just shrugged.

"It's up to the Boss. You know that. I'll send him word that we spoke with you, and we'll see what he wants to from there. Be careful though. He may still want to try attacking the ship every now and then, so you'd best stay prepared."

Kendra nodded. "Can I go now?"

They nodded, and she left without another word to either of them. Immediately, she went back to the ship. She wanted to be alone and think for a while. On the ship, she decided being alone was the last thing she needed. She sought out the captain, and when she found him he was instantly at her side.

"What's wrong, luv?" He asked, and at first she didn't understand until she realized she was crying.

"Nothing." She muttered and wiped the tears away.

He gently reached up and caught one of the tears on the side of his forefinger. "Tha's not nothin', luv. Come with me."

He made her sit down on the bed while he retrieved a dry cloth for her to wipe her eyes on. When he returned, he handed the cloth to her and sat down beside her.

"Talk to me, Kendra. Please?" He pleaded as futilely tried wiping away the tears that—now started—refused to stop no matter how hard she ground her teeth together.

She shook her head.

"Please?"

She shook her head again.

"_Pplleeaassee!"_ He wrapped his arms around her neck, buried his head onto her shoulder, and pushed on her until she fell over. When she started laughing, he lifted his head and stared at her. "Somehow I knew I could make ye laugh, Kender. Now, why can't ye tell me wha's been botherin' ye?" He asked and propped his head up on one elbow.

"A few reasons. Number one being: I'm deathly scared of what you'll say. Number two being: I'm deathly scared of what you'll do to me. Number three: I'm deathly scared of what could happen to me—not including what you'll do—if I tell you. That enough?"

"Sounds ta me like yer deathly scared. But ye don't have to be that scared of _me_, luv. I pr—."

She clapped her hand over his mouth to keep him from finishing. "Don't say that, because it'll wind up being a lie."

He gently pulled her hand away from his mouth. "And how do ye know that?"

"Because I know what I would do if I was in your position, and what I would do is probably mild compared to what you would do to me."

"And what would you do to you?" He asked, staring at her fondly and brushing her hair away from her face.

"I'd tie a rope around my neck and hang myself up in the sails if I were you and I found out what I'm refusing to say to you." She replied matter-of-factly. "And I really shouldn't have told you that because you'll probably do that now."

He frowned. "I would _never_ do something like that to you, Kender."

In a whisper, she replied, "How can you make promises like that when you don't know?"

"Then tell me." He protested, and she squirmed out from under him and stood up. She straightened her shirt and shook her head.

"You don't know what you're asking. If I tell you, things would never be the same between us, Jack. Ever." She frowned and her lower lip stuck out slightly in an unassuming pout when she saw him smiling. "What are you grinning about, Captain Sparrow?"

He shook his head and rolled onto his back. His white shirt was very low-cut in the front, and Kendra couldn't help but remember when they'd kissed. She had to force herself back to the present when she heard him speak.

"Ye worry too much, Kender." He patted the bed beside him, and she sat down reluctantly. She sat down with her back to him and her hands in her lap. _This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong. But why doesn't it feel as wrong as it's supposed to?_ She wondered.

She didn't even flinch when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her down to rest her head on his stomach so that her legs were hanging off the bed.

"Now, tell me if ye honestly think I'd ever hurt ye." Jack said once she was comfortable.

She paused to imagine what he would probably do to her if she told him her little secret, and slowly she began nodding.

"What!" He exploded and sat up. "How can you—? Why do you think—? Why can't you just…?"

She sat up as well. "I'm telling you, you'd be angry."

"No, I bloody wouldn't!" He stood up and paced back and forth and bit his thumb.

She stood up as well, all but spitting in his face. "Yes you would!"

"No, I wouldn't!"

"You're angry now! Look at yourself."

"I'm not angry!" He shouted. They were both shouting now, and she had no doubt that they were probably getting eavesdroppers outside their door.

"Yes you are!"

"No, I am _not_!"

"Well, God, if you're not angry now then I'd hate to see what you'd be like if you _were_ angry!" She yelled as he turned his back on her to pace again briefly.

"Why do you think I'd—?"

"Because you would!"

"You don't know that!" He pointed a finger at her, and this time she was the one to storm away, over to his cabinet of rum.

"Ye know what?" Jack asked as Kendra ran her fingers through her hair. She could feel heat emanating off of her in shockwaves. Anger was an interesting thing. "I think you're being an idiot."

"Oh, am I?" She hissed.

"Yes! Because if ye trusted me at all then ye would be able ta tell me what was on yer mind and know that I'd try to understand, not taunting me about it and keeping it a secret from me!"

"Well maybe it isn't your secret to hear! Ever think of that you selfish little—." Her curses were drowned out by his.

"Selfish? Me? You're one to talk, missy. I should've thrown you overboard as soon as we found you in the cargo hold. _You_ are nothing but a stupid, petty little…_woman!_"

Surged with anger and hurt, she picked up one of his bottles of rum and threw it at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. He ducked, and the bottle shattered against the wall behind him.

Staring at him, she shouldered past him and threw the doors open. The crew fluttered away from the door like bats when you shine a light on them, each one going in a different direction. She didn't care. She didn't stop walking until she was down in her own room, and only when she slammed the door and locked it behind her did she allow herself to burst into tears.

_He just doesn't understand. That's all this is._

**Oh goodness! Wonder who will apologize first and plead and grovel for forgiveness first? How intriguing.**

**Okay, there's the next chapter. I'm gonna start on the next one right now, cuz I'm really into this story. I like where I'm headed with this one. Just don't forget to review, ok guys? I got a review today and that was what inspired me to keep going! So don't forget, or I may start slacking. I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.**


	9. Forgiveness

**Oh my goodness, what's going to happen to Jack and Kendra? They just had an awful fight where I left off in the last chapter. Hm…wonder who will apologize first?**

**Warning! Kendra says a very dirty word in this chapter, so if anyone has a problem I'm terribly terribly sorry and you can just skip that part of substitute it for a different word. See, I cuss sometimes, and I just thot it would be funny for her to cuss a little in this chapter to get her point across at how upset she is with Jack. So, sorry for the dirty word! I'll try to just leave it at the one.**

Kendra flung herself down onto her bed and cried, hoping no one would bother her. She only wanted to be left alone at the moment.

_Jack._ The name rang bells in her head of hatred, fondness, and affection. _How can you hate someone when you like them so much?_

_Simple. They're an insufferable idiot named Jack Sparrow, that's bloody how!_ She growled under her breath and wiped her tears away. _Why am I crying over that pig?_ She asked herself and sat up, staring at her bare storage room/bedroom. A few crates in the corner were her only company.

A knock resounded on her door, and she shouted, "Go away!" with a frown on her face.

"It's Anna. Can I come in, Kendra?" Anna's piping voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Kendra hesitated and asked, "What do you want?"

"I saw ye storm outta the cap'n's cabin, and I just wanted to know if ye were alright."

Kendra snorted. "You mean _he_ wanted to know if I was all right?"

There was only a brief pause. "He hasn't even spoken ta anyone yet, miss. Yer the woman of the two, which means yer a little more levelheaded than he is. Ye don't hafta let me in. Just know this: anything that he said to you, he most likely didn't mean. He's got a fuse on him shorter than a grenade, ma'am." At those words, Kendra heard Anna's distinct footsteps getting farther and farther away.

She lay down on the bed and fell into sleep much quicker than she expected she would.

* * *

She was awoken by more knocking. "What do you want now?"

"It's Gibbs, madam. The cap'n wishes to see you in his cabin. Ye've been in there fer almost five hours now."

"Well, tell the captain he can go fuck himself or come see me personally."

"Touché." She heard him mutter, and then a "good luck, cap'n." Next, she heard Gibbs' footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"Kender?" Jack asked.

"What?" She asked bitterly and walked over to the door.

"Will ye open the door?" His voice was muffled like he had his lips pressed closely to the crack where the door met the frame.

"Why should I?" She asked, pressing her head against the crack as well.

"So I can grovel at yer feet and beg fer mercy fer calling you names and bein' rude." He sounded so sad, but she wasn't quite ready to forgive him.

She jerked the door open and saw his head leaned against the frame. She smiled at him wickedly before slamming the door closed on his face again. She had the satisfaction of hearing him let out a yelp, and a _thump_ let her know he'd fallen over. She could hear Anna Maria laughing somewhere down the hall as well.

"I deserved that." Jack muttered. "_Now_ will ye open the door, luv?"

"You want me to do it again?"

"No, no! I want ye to let me in there with ye."

"Why should I?"

"Haven' we been over this once already, luv?" He paused, and then she heard a soft, "Please let me in?"

She sighed. How could she say no to him again when he sounded so pitiful? She opened the door, and as soon as she did he tackled her, throwing his arms around her and knocking her clean off her feet. She landed in the floor with Jack on top of her, and vaguely she realized he was laughing and trying to say, "Thank you, thank you. I'm sorry I was mean, I really am," at the same time. It came out kind of muffled, because he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Kendra found herself laughing along with him even though she was supposed to be angry with him. "Jack! Jack!"

This stopped him entirely and he looked down at her. "Its Captain, luv. Captain."

"It's not when the _captain_ just knocked me over and refuses to get up."

"Well, this is me way of apologizing. Gotta be extravagant."

"That wasn't extravagant."

"No? Ye don't think so?"

"No. That was…wrong."

He laughed, and she took his moment of inattention to press her knee against his hip and push him off her. She stood up and straightened her clothes before proceeding to the bed. She started to flip the pillow over, but Jack said, "Wait, Kendra. Don't move."

He walked over to her and touched a wet spot on the pillow where she'd been crying. When she just looked at him, trying to keep her expression blank, he sat down beside her and hugged her, this time being serious.

"I'm so sorry I said all tha' mess back there in me cabin. I didn't mean ta upset ye so much."

" 'So much'? So you did mean to upset me a little bit?"

"No! Ugh…ye know what I meant. I shouldn't have gotten so upset with ye. I just saw ye cryin' earlier and—."

She put her hand over his mouth. "Don't start. Remember what happened last time you decided to get happy with your mouth."

He nodded. "Will ye tell me eventually what's been botherin' ye so much?"

She shrugged. "Maybe someday…I don't know. I may not get a chance to."

He shook his head. "I refuse ta let anythin' happen to me or you until ye tell me what has been wrong with ye. Aye?"

She nodded. "Aye." But inside she knew there was no way he would be able to stop Charlie in the end if she kept helping him.

**Sorry it's been so long. Just thought I'd throw that up there for ya'll. I'm having a bit of writers block, but I'm still writing, don't worry! The chapters may not come up as quickly as they used to, but I'll try to keep posting every day or so. I'll keep posting if you keep reviewing, savvy?**


End file.
